Former Chancellor Rachel Reeves backed Andy Burnham’s push for a rethink on the relationship with the bloc – but said supporters need to win the argument
Former Chancellor Rachel Reeves has weighed in on the Brexit debate(Image: Stefan Rousseau/PA)
Rachel Reeves has blamed Brexit for making the UK “poorer, weaker and less secure” – and said our future must be in the EU.
The former Chancellor backed Andy Burnham’s push for a rethink on the relationship with the bloc, which has ended Labour’s Brexit omerta. The Prime Minister has said he wants an “open conversation” on the EU, and has left the door open to fighting the next election on a promise to take Britain back into the bloc.
In her first major intervention since she was sacked in July, Ms Reeves wrote in the Sunday Times: “I am proud of the progress we have already made in strengthening our relationship with the European Union.
“Brexit has made us poorer, weaker and less secure. There is a debate to be had about our future relationship with Europe, and I welcome Andy Burnham’s leadership in facing up to this. No one in the Treasury ever doubted where my instincts were.”
She added: “I do believe Britain’s future lies in the European Union. However, it is incumbent on supporters of our re-entry to make the argument, demonstrate tangible benefits and to get the next steps right — especially ahead of the UK-EU summit later this month, where at a minimum we should be looking for confirmation of the ambitious youth mobility scheme negotiated earlier this year, and — I hope — progress towards entry into the SAFE defence partnership.”
Her comments came after ex PM Keir Starmer said the UK and Europe must work closer together as the US becomes a less reliable ally. Speaking in Ireland on Friday, Mr Starmer warned “things will not go back to the way they were” and said the US would no longer “bankroll” its allies.
He argued Europe needed a “common security framework as much as a common market”, with the UK at its centre.
Mr Burnham wants to lock in deals on food and drink, emissions trading and a youth mobility scheme at a long-awaited UK-EU summit in Brussels this month. But he has is also planning to “explore options” for the long-term relationship after the summit.
The PM has committed to abiding by Labour’s Brexit “red lines”, a commitment in the 2024 manifesto that there would be no return to freedom of movement, the customs union or the single market. But he has signalled that a much closer relationship could be on the table at the next election.
Mr Burnham fuelled speculation he supported a return to freedom of movement last weekend, until No10 stepped in to clarify he is not proposing any particular option. “He is saying that it’s time for us to discuss what kind of long-term relationship with Europe is best for Britain and he is referring to the types of areas that that agreement and long-term future could cover,” the PM’s deputy spokeswoman said.
“He is crucially not leaning either way, and that will be for the British public to decide.
Mr Burnham has warned ministers not to “advocate for specific options or opine on the likely outcome of the process”. In a letter to his Cabinet, Mr Burnham said any “fundamental change” to post-Brexit arrangements would be “for the public to decide” and left to the next Parliament.
